The Lens Flare Showdown: Comparing Flares with Different Lenses
Lens flare occurs when stray light enters a camera lens and produces artifacts in the image. It’s often seen as a something to avoid, but it can also be a creative tool when used intentionally (and I am personally obsessed with it!). However, not all lenses produce the same type of lens flare, and understanding the characteristics of each can help you make more informed decisions about which lenses to use for different types of photography.
In this article, I’m going to talk about different kinds of lenses and how they deal with flare. Then, I’ll be showing a ton of examples of lens flare organized by the brand of lens used. This will be the collaborative part of this blog post, where I asked bunches of photographers to submit their images using all different brands and lenses. I hope this helps you decide what lens to use the next time you are shooting backlit!
This blog is part of a collaborative blog series! Check out my other blog where I asked a ton of photographers what their biggest mistakes were last year. Come learn from our mistakes!
How the quality of your glass will effect the lens flare
When I was first starting out in photography, I would use the cheapest lenses because they were… well, cheap. And I couldn’t afford anything else. Which is completely fine, except for when you shoot backlit like I love to do, the lens flare can take over the photo. Sometimes that looks really cool but when you are trying to get that perfect photo to go over the fireplace of everybody looking at the camera, your client does not want a big old lens flare over their faces.
And this is why spending more money on good glass is such a great idea. Better glass equals less intense lens flare (and usually sharper, higher-quality looking photos). But sometimes I miss my old lenses because they would give me such creative lens flares. So it’s a trade-off for sure!
For example, on my Canon RF 85mm 1.2 lens, it has such amazing glass that the flare is typically minimal and in the edge. Something I love to do is use a copper pipe to create a ring of fire, and I have a very hard time getting a full circle with this lens! It’s so high quality that it resists the flare!
The coating on the glass of your lens can also make a difference in your amount of lens flare. Really expensive lenses have higher quality coating that can help to reduce lens flare. Which you may want sometimes, but other times not so much!
How to create lens flare on purpose
Start with a sunny day and position yourself so the sun will be coming directly into the lens. But the trick to get a beautiful flare is to have the sun partially blocked by something like a tree or mountain, or even your subject. Mess around with the amount of sun you allow to peek out and see what is giving you the best flare. If the sun is blocked too much, you won’t get a flare. I also try and have a darker background over the area where the flare will be so it is easier to see.
I personally use Canon cameras, and I have dealt with lots of different lens flares. So let me break that down for you first before I share about other brands later!
Breakdown of my Canon lens journey
At the beginning of my photography journey, I was using the nifty 50, which is the super cheap Canon 50mm 1.8. This lens is seriously a lifesaver when you are just starting photography and can’t afford anything more than this. But you have to be careful because the lens flare can definitely take over the image if you are trying to shoot backlit. But it can produce some super cool rainbows because cheaper glass equals more artifacts. If you use it intentionally, you can create some amazing art with it! Looking at this is making me want to go get another of these just so I can make some rainbow flares!
Another cheaper lens that I had in the early days of my photography career was the Canon 35mm 2.0. When shooting backlit, it can definitely overtake your photo if you aren’t careful. The photos below are using this lens. I actually really love this one because it goes with the vibe I wanted, but if I were trying to get everyone looking at the camera, I would have a very hard time getting a nice backlit image. This was taken in 2019 when I had sold a lens but was waiting for another so I used this one for the first time in a while and had a goal in mind to do cool things with the lens flare. ????
I dealt with a weird green lens flare (you can see it in the photos below) on the Sigma art 35mm 1.4 lens so I quickly sold that lens for something else. Because this green flare (pictured below) just wasn’t the look I was after, even though at can be cool sometimes.
Then I spent more money to get the Canon 35 mm 1.4 L ii (what I currently shoot with) and it still sometimes ends up with a lens flare right in the middle of the photo where people’s faces are. Other than that it’s a super amazing lens but the lens flare sometimes drives me nuts. Below is a backlit photo using this lens and you can see that the lens flare is beautiful when you are doing lifestyle images but you have to be very careful with backlit photos of everyone looking at the camera.
I also have the RF 85 mm 1.2 lens and the flare is always in the corner and so soft and pretty. Absolutely gorgeous and yes, these RF lenses are a lot more expensive than the lenses I have used in the past, but I feel that they are 100% worth it.
Recently I had the opportunity to try out the Canon RF 50 mm 1.2 lens and it absolutely blew my mind. The lens flare was so lovely and minimal and typically on the edge of the image rather than right over the middle of it. You can see in the images below what the lens flare looks like on this lens.
A collaborative collection of lens flare examples!
Below are images submitted by other photographers, along with what lens they used. This is to help you see what lens makes what kind of flare. I hope it is helpful for you!
Cannon Lenses and Lens Flares
Canon EF Lenses
Submitted by Ashley Kaplan:
Submitted by Amy Holcombe Photography:
Taken by Jaime Bugbee Photography:
Submitted by Christel Tran:
Taken by Aly with Wild Winds Photography:
Taken by Brooke Holliday Photography:
Submitted by Meliza Orellana Photography:
Submitted by Christina Chacharon:
Taken by Kim Beebe Photography:
Canon RF Lenses
Taken by Story Lens Photography:
Submitted by Erin Link:
Submitted by Michelle Deppe Photography:
Taken by Tristin Tracy Photography:
Taken by Apollo & Ivy Photography:
Nikon Lenses and the Lens Flares they produce
Submitted by Sara Maida Photography:
Submitted by Sarah Harrison Photography:
Submitted by Tilly Lane Photography:
Submitted by Gillian McColl Photography:
Submitted by Raven’s Nest Photography:
Taken by Jo Bryan Photography:
Sigma Lenses and flares
Taken by Naomi Boyer Photography:
Submitted by Krista Buresh Photography:
Submitted by Elizabeth Anderson Photography:
Submitted by Cassy Cole Photography:
Sony Lenses plus Lens Flares
Submitted by Jennifer Young:
Submitted by Bailey Jack Photography:
Submitted by Bailey Jack Photography:
Submitted by Jennifer Young:
Tamron Lenses and Flares
Taken by Evelynne Gomes Greenberg Photography:
Submitted by Becky Langseth Photography:
Fuji lenses and flares
Submitted by Michelle Deppe Photography:
Submitted by The Enloe Creative:
Submitted by The Enloe Creative:
Lumix lenses and sun flares
Submitted by Becky Langseth Photography:
Olympus Lenses and the lens flares they produce
Submitted by Becky Langseth Photography:
Specialty Lenses and their lens flares
Submitted by Ashley Kaplan:
Interested in learning more about how to use light?
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Such an informative post! I need more flare in my life!
I mean, who doesn’t?!?
Thank you for putting this together. I never knew that different lenses could produce such varying results when it came to lens flare! Very helpful when I consider which lens to purchase next.
Yes, they can do such different things! Also depends on the angle the sun is coming in, you can get different results with the same lens just by changing the angle 🙂
Great comparison! I wish modern lenses were less “perfect”. 🙂
Wow, Becca, what a fantastic and detailed post on lens flares! I couldn’t agree more with the idea that lens flare, while sometimes tricky to manage, can become a creative signature when used thoughtfully. It’s fascinating to see how much variation there is depending on the lens type and brand—something that isn’t always immediately obvious when you’re first starting out. This post has definitely inspired me to experiment more with different lenses to capture those unique light effects. Thanks for putting together such a valuable resource for all of us photography enthusiasts!